Hello all, this is about assorted vegies (peppers as well) i have growing in containers. ( couldn't decide if the mods would get me for posting in the wrong forum on not... Just Kidding!!) So i don' have a pic but under my containers where i have seen "worm sign" trails in the dirt... i also have found copious amounts of what i can only call.. processed dirt. little round balls of mud/dirt... do i have castings on my hands, ya think? As always Happy Growing and Cheers in advance!
Worm castings?
- Thread starter Chillihead_benny
- Start date
Kill them with fire!
Only 0.1% of the worms are "good" for your plants. those worms will eat all dead tissue (leaves etc) and decompose them to their basic materials. this stage of decomposing is called "humus". humus = good. the rest 99.9% are just like other animals and eat nutrients by the bunch! those worms will process your compost, soil and other organic materials and leave, well, dirt! they'll clean you out! you don't want those... hence the fire remark.
Only 0.1% of the worms are "good" for your plants. those worms will eat all dead tissue (leaves etc) and decompose them to their basic materials. this stage of decomposing is called "humus". humus = good. the rest 99.9% are just like other animals and eat nutrients by the bunch! those worms will process your compost, soil and other organic materials and leave, well, dirt! they'll clean you out! you don't want those... hence the fire remark.
You seem to know a lot about worms Omri...certainly more than i do at the moment.
0.1% is one in a thousand...do you know the species name of the good worm Omri?
I kinda was under the impression that earthworms were good, hence earthworm castings that i buy at the local hydro shop, but i never paid much attention beyond that.
But, i'm always willing to learn more, when it comes to plants.
dvg
0.1% is one in a thousand...do you know the species name of the good worm Omri?
I kinda was under the impression that earthworms were good, hence earthworm castings that i buy at the local hydro shop, but i never paid much attention beyond that.
But, i'm always willing to learn more, when it comes to plants.
dvg
The numbers were random, no serious data there. was just trying emphasize the fact most worms will not help your soil nutrient wise (the dirt left by most worms is a good sowing medium, but has no nutrients).
I've of several species "beneficial", but the only species I've actually seen producing nutrient rich medium/advance compost/humus is Eisenia fetida. been growing them myself for years. they help speeding up the composting process and because of that the compost I'm feeding my plants with is stable and not "hot".
I've of several species "beneficial", but the only species I've actually seen producing nutrient rich medium/advance compost/humus is Eisenia fetida. been growing them myself for years. they help speeding up the composting process and because of that the compost I'm feeding my plants with is stable and not "hot".
Thanks for the info Omri.
I haven't looked into vermiculture before, but it does seem like an interesting area for further study...
...so much to learn.
dvg
thank you all. i have red worms.. to be specific. saw them today. castings will go in the compost pile in case they are hot still..next year. happy gardening and cheers!
Most standard earthworm species here in the northeast do perform important functions in nutrient cycling, nutrient availability and soil aeration. While they do consume nutrients....they don't transfer nutrients way....their life cycle is beneficial.
Thats bullshit!
Please give me some reading on where it's been shown that worms are detrimental to a healthy eco-system within soil? As far as I am concerned, the more worms I see in my soil, the healthier it is!
Why would there be such a movement to increase bacteria/fungi within the soil to encourage worms in the horticulture industry?
Oh wow, what a friendly response.
Just like how certain fungi will help your plants with absorbing more nutrients, but most are simply parasites that will, if you let them, take all the nutrients.
I have not read an article about it. I am familiar with both worms and fungi and because of what I know, I said what I said. most earthworms will decompose all plant tissue in the ground and leave nothing but soil. if that's what you want... go with it.
Worms convert decaying matter into nutrient rich castings, they won't feed on living tissue! In fact, they are more inclined to actually feed on the bacteria feeding on the decaying matter than they are on the decaying matter itself.
This is exactly how worm farms operate. You put food scraps in, bacteria starts to break down the scraps, and worms do the rest. This is exactly what happens under the soil! The places on earth where plants don't often grow (ie. Antarctica/Arctic circle and harsh deserts with lack of water) are also the same places where worm activity is either non-existent or extremely minimal. Co-incidence?
I respect the knowledge you have shared within this community over the years, except for this. Making a blanket statement that then discourages people not to use worms and/or worm castings is just plain stupid without supporting evidence as to why you are advocating such a statement.
I want to refer you to a website (http://www.debortoli.com.au/environment/biological-farming/worm-activity.html) I read over the weekend from a respected grape grower in Australia that has recently taken up biological farming as opposed to organic farming. They have now started sowing cover crops for the sole purpose of putting organic materials back into the ground to increase the biological activity in the soil, including the worm activity which I find is a crucial element to succeeding with gardening.
This is exactly how worm farms operate. You put food scraps in, bacteria starts to break down the scraps, and worms do the rest. This is exactly what happens under the soil! The places on earth where plants don't often grow (ie. Antarctica/Arctic circle and harsh deserts with lack of water) are also the same places where worm activity is either non-existent or extremely minimal. Co-incidence?
I respect the knowledge you have shared within this community over the years, except for this. Making a blanket statement that then discourages people not to use worms and/or worm castings is just plain stupid without supporting evidence as to why you are advocating such a statement.
I want to refer you to a website (http://www.debortoli.com.au/environment/biological-farming/worm-activity.html) I read over the weekend from a respected grape grower in Australia that has recently taken up biological farming as opposed to organic farming. They have now started sowing cover crops for the sole purpose of putting organic materials back into the ground to increase the biological activity in the soil, including the worm activity which I find is a crucial element to succeeding with gardening.
The idea behind vermicomposting is, like the name implies, creating a usable fertilizer. when people purchase worm castings, they purchase a fertilizer. a fertilizer needs to be complex, have a wide selection of nutrients. earthworms, just like most living creatures, survive on the same nutrients, or at least most of them. when they digest an organic material, and I do not mean eating your plants like you made it seem, they break it down to its basic components, meaning the nutrients and absorb most of them. just like humans, cows, chickens and many more do with their food. we digest food to absorb nutrients. the reason I used cows and chickens - a well known source of compost, in my example was to show it does not mean it has no value at all, but earthworms do that in a much more detailed scale and clean out their favorite nutrients. earthworms in general are part of nature and have their role, especially in the microbiological part of it. so do fungi, and do you know how fungi survive? most will either spread their web (mycelium) and absorb nutrients directly from the ground, or grow onto a plant and use its roots to absorb nutrients. they are important for the decomposing of the ground and it's viability, but they will compete with the plants. exceptions do exist though. there was fungi found in Ukraine that is able of feeding on radiation and clearing the air around it by doing so. fungi are adaptable, and because of that there are species that, if you let them, will help enrich the soil and some, like many farmers already know, will help making the decomposing and nutrient absorption a lot quicker. earthworms are no different. certain species are known for digesting organic materials and leave most of the nutrient structure if not all of it, behind. those species are used in vermicomposting. worm castings of any other worms are actually soil. it might be a bit high on nitrogen or another nutrient, but it is still a soil. not a viable fertilizer. all I meant to do was to point it out and make people aware of it. "all that glitters is not gold".
On another note, I'm currently working on an article about fungi and their part in our world and possibly, future. I think you might enjoy it.
I appreciate the knowledge comment. thank you.
I understand what you are saying, but I think for the average Joe Blow that the benefits of earthworms would far outweigh the negatives.
For earthworms to exist in an area to begin with, large amounts of decaying organic matter needs to be present. If you read anything written by Soil Food Web, you will know that earthworms are just part of a symbiotic relationship that occurs below the soil. It's not a matter of having just earthworms, but a balance of earthworms, bacteria, fungii, protozoa, nematodes etc.
One thing that I have read is that the nutrients emitted by worms through their castings become more readily available to plants for uptake. This is one of the reasons why the average home gardener prizes on an abundance of worms in their gardens.
Having said that, I had a quick read via Google on forests being decimated by European earthworms, as the forest litter takes ages to decompose and provide cover for delicate root mass, only for the earthworms to come in and finish it off far too quickly resulting in the destruction of native species. This is not so much of an issue for the home gardener as we can just put more soil/compost/mulch for the earthworms to devour.
I just think you needed to paint a different picture in relation to your explanation about how 99.9% of earthworms are unwanted.... people take things too literally sometimes and I still think its much more worthwhile for a home gardener to include worm castings into an OVERALL nutrient based program, not a be all and end all.
I do believe I read that someone did an experiment with germinating in numerous mediums containing no castings, 50% castings and 100% castings. Germination completely failed at 100% of castings, but the 50% castings performed better than no castings.
For earthworms to exist in an area to begin with, large amounts of decaying organic matter needs to be present. If you read anything written by Soil Food Web, you will know that earthworms are just part of a symbiotic relationship that occurs below the soil. It's not a matter of having just earthworms, but a balance of earthworms, bacteria, fungii, protozoa, nematodes etc.
One thing that I have read is that the nutrients emitted by worms through their castings become more readily available to plants for uptake. This is one of the reasons why the average home gardener prizes on an abundance of worms in their gardens.
Having said that, I had a quick read via Google on forests being decimated by European earthworms, as the forest litter takes ages to decompose and provide cover for delicate root mass, only for the earthworms to come in and finish it off far too quickly resulting in the destruction of native species. This is not so much of an issue for the home gardener as we can just put more soil/compost/mulch for the earthworms to devour.
I just think you needed to paint a different picture in relation to your explanation about how 99.9% of earthworms are unwanted.... people take things too literally sometimes and I still think its much more worthwhile for a home gardener to include worm castings into an OVERALL nutrient based program, not a be all and end all.
I do believe I read that someone did an experiment with germinating in numerous mediums containing no castings, 50% castings and 100% castings. Germination completely failed at 100% of castings, but the 50% castings performed better than no castings.
